“Noona.”
When Elysia suddenly stopped walking, Joshua tugged on her sleeve.
I need to endure this for Joshua's sake.
The maids were openly whispering unpleasant things loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
“Excuse me.”
The group of maids seated around the table looked up.
Apparently, they hadn't expected her to be the one to speak first, because they exchanged surprised glances.
“What is it?”
One of them asked.
She smirked as though she felt no guilt whatsoever and even tilted her chin as if daring Elysia to say something.
Elysia secretly clenched her fist before relaxing it again.
Then she smiled.
“It looks like you've finished eating. Would you mind leaving your seats? We're about to get our food.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
For a moment, they looked completely bewildered, as if they thought they had misheard her.
Politely, Elysia gestured toward their empty plates.
“You seem to be done with your meal, but you're still sitting here, so I was wondering. Ah, unless...”
She turned around and raised her voice toward Greta.
“Are people allowed to stay seated here after they've finished eating?”
Unlike the other maids, Greta sat at the center of the room.
Around her sat people of various ranks, including the head chef and gardeners.
Greta quietly put down her utensils.
“Because shift work is frequent, the standard rule is to leave once you've finished eating. Is there a problem?”
Wearing the practiced smile of someone experienced in dealing with people, Elysia replied,
“No. I was just curious.”
Her gaze shifted slightly toward the maids.
The women who had been openly gossiping moments ago suddenly looked uncomfortable.
Perhaps afraid of attracting unwanted attention, they began standing up one by one.
Muttering under their breath, they gathered their dishes and walked past Elysia.
Thank goodness Joshua didn't hear any of that.
Elysia kept him close behind her, making sure nobody accidentally bumped into him as they passed.
“Not bad.”
The last maid to leave threw those words at Elysia.
She was the same maid who had challenged her earlier and raised her chin arrogantly.
Elysia met her gaze directly and smiled.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
The maid let out a short scoff.
“Hah!”
Only after the group had completely left did Elysia and Joshua enter the kitchen.
Fortunately, there was still plenty of food remaining.
For the two of them, even slightly cooled soup and sandwiches felt like a feast.
Sitting at the table and swinging his legs, Joshua took one bite of soup and immediately exclaimed,
“It's delicious!”
“Shh. We should eat quietly.”
“Okay!”
Joshua answered enthusiastically and continued eating.
Watching him, Elysia slid her own bowl of barely touched soup toward him.
Since they had started eating late, people gradually began leaving the dining hall.
Eventually, they were among the last remaining diners.
“Joshua, can you sit here and wait for me?”
“Okay!”
His confident reply earned a smile from Elysia.
Picking up their dishes, she headed into the kitchen.
Inside, a mountain of used plates had already been stacked up.
Through the door leading to the back courtyard, she caught the faint smell of smoke.
Peeking out, she saw the head chef smoking after his meal.
Elysia quietly moved around without drawing attention to herself.
The pile of dishes looked ready to collapse at any moment.
She carefully separated them into smaller stacks and wiped leftover scraps from some plates with a damp cloth.
As she neatly placed the dishes into the washing tub, the chef returned.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh! The dishes looked like they might break, so I just organized them. I didn't touch anything else.”
Afraid of upsetting him, Elysia instinctively stepped back.
The chef stroked his beard and noticed the organized dishes.
Then he clicked his tongue.
“I heard you're new, but you're pretty diligent.”
“Thank you.”
“This is my job, so don't waste your time doing it. Go on.”
He waved his hand dismissively.
Before leaving the kitchen, Elysia spoke up.
“Thank you for the meal. My little brother absolutely loved the soup.”
“Well, of course he did. Who do you think made it? If you ever need more, just ask. Soup usually ends up with leftovers anyway.”
Elysia bowed and left the kitchen.
But when she returned to the dining hall, only Greta remained.
Joshua, who had promised to wait quietly, was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did he go already?”
She immediately worried that he might have caused trouble or gotten himself into some sort of accident.
But Greta was already approaching.
Breakfast was over, and there were still duties that needed explaining.
Seeing Elysia's anxious gaze wandering around, Greta asked first,
“Is there a problem?”
“Oh, no...”
She couldn't exactly ask Greta to wait because her brother had disappeared.
Greta touched her ear briefly before continuing her explanation.
“As the young lady's personal maid, your primary duties are helping her wake up and prepare for bed, and making sure she eats her meals on time. Since Her Ladyship rarely summons people directly, your accommodations will be the same as the other maids'. Whenever she leaves the estate or moves around within it and requires assistance, you will be the first person expected to attend her. As for assisting with baths...”
Greta's explanation was concise and focused only on essentials.
But Elysia couldn't stop thinking about Joshua's empty seat.
She spent most of the time nodding while struggling to keep her attention focused.
“If anything happens to Her Ladyship, you'll be the first person held responsible. Conduct yourself carefully.”
“I understand.”
“And...”
Greta studied Elysia quietly before letting out a slow breath.
“Children are naturally curious and often wander off over the smallest things. Try not to leave your brother alone whenever possible. This estate is larger than it looks. Once someone gets lost, finding them isn't easy.”
“...Yes, Head Maid.”
Apparently Greta had noticed her inability to concentrate.
Instead of criticizing her for it, she simply gave her a look that clearly meant you may go now.
Elysia bowed quickly and hurried out of the dining hall.
Where could he have gone?
She searched frantically, peering around corners as she hurried through the mansion.
Then she heard familiar voices nearby.
“Did you see her face earlier? The way she stared people down and smiled so shamelessly.”
“Maybe that's the kind of nerve you need if you're some country girl trying to become a personal maid.”
It was the same group of maids from the dining hall.
Elysia stopped before reaching the corner and listened quietly.
“Do you know how someone like her ends up here?”
One of them suddenly asked.
It was a familiar voice.
The very maid who had spoken directly to Elysia earlier.
“Good question. It's not like she has money to bribe anyone.”
The gossip continued without pause.
“It's obvious. She has backing.”
“Backing? You think she has money?”
“No, not money. This.”
“What? Oh my goodness! That's shameless!”
The group burst into laughter.
Elysia didn't understand exactly what they meant by "backing."
But she could tell it wasn't anything flattering.
Still, she had more important things to worry about right now.
And if she got caught eavesdropping, things would only become more troublesome.
She turned around to leave.
Then—
A sheet of paper suddenly appeared in front of her.
[Looking for your brother?]
It was Sheyla.
Elysia hadn't even noticed her approaching.
When had she gotten there?
Glancing once toward the corner where the maids were gossiping, Elysia nodded.
In response, Sheyla crooked her finger as if telling her to follow.
Then she turned and started walking.
